Raw vs. Cooked Broccoli: Which Packs More Cancer-Fighting Power?
The science is clear—if you want more sulforaphane to combat cancer, raw broccoli is the way to go.
When it comes to eating your vegetables, broccoli always gets high marks. But should you be eating it raw or cooked?
If your goal is to maximize the cancer-fighting compound sulforaphane, the science points clearly in one direction: raw.
According to research , raw broccoli delivers significantly more sulforaphane to your body, and it does so much faster than cooked. That’s important, because sulforaphane has been linked to lower cancer risk in numerous clinical trials.
A recent meta-analysis confirmed this link between sulforaphane and reduced cancer risk—but the source of sulforaphane really matters.
What the Research Says
One study reported that the bioavailability of sulforaphane—the amount your body actually absorbs—was 37% from raw broccoli, compared to just 3% from cooked. That’s not a small gap.
And it’s not just about how much you absorb—it’s also how fast.
It took six hours for sulforaphane from cooked broccoli to peak in the bloodstream. But from raw broccoli? Just an hour and a half. That’s a big
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